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Urge Governor Taft to Use Ohio's Tobacco Money for Tobacco Prevention, Not the Deficit

Years of litigation between the states and tobacco companies resulted in a $200 billion payment to prevent people from smoking and cut health care costs associated with tobacco use.

Yet, many states have already spent a large portion of the tobacco pie, and not on tobacco prevention -- it's being spent to fill the state budget deficit!! Between 2000 and 2002, over the $21 billion of money was released, but only 5% ($1.5 billion) was spent on anti-smoking efforts.

The funny thing is, studies keep showing that smoking programs cut state costs AND tobacco use.

Regardless, governors across the country continue to dip into tobacco funds and close anti-smoking programs down. To keep tobacco money where it belongs, sign this petition: www.care2.com/go/z/6145

Volunteers Needed for Refugees in Columbus Area

Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS) has had a large influx of refugees of many faiths and nations to the Columbus area in May and June and are in urgent need of the following:
  a.. faith groups or service organizations to work alongside a family their first few months in America, assisting them to navigate the services here and providing their initial material needs
  b.. volunteers (with trucks or vans) to move donations to newly arrived families
  c.. material donations in GOOD condition only: of critical need are kitchen or dining tables & chairs, beds, lamps, dressers, laundry detergent. Also needed are kitchen wares, bathroom toiletries, linens, bedding (especially pillows-only new), TV's, fans
  d.. office assistance to handle client's phone calls, appointments, and some filing If you are able to help in any of these area, please contact Kimberley Kreeft, CRIS, 1110 Morse Road, Suite 216, (614) 840-9634, kk_cris@yahoo.ca

Donate to the Sewers Campaign

Your donation will be matched!

The Central Ohio Sierra Club has a generous donor who will match all donations up to $2500 for the lawsuit about the city's sewers. Legal and expert fees are expensive. Benefits from the litigation are exponential compared to the cost. Columbus has agreed to spend half a billion dollars because of the Sierra Club's work. The Sierra Club needs your support to make sure this money is not misspent! Their lawsuits can redirect the spending of billions. Make your generous, tax-deductible check out to: The Sierra Club Foundation, and mail to: Ken Johnsen, COG Treasurer, 6760 Hayhurst St., Worthington, OH 43085. Thank you!

Tenet Fell on His Sword for 9-11 Too

Last night before I went to bed I heard the news that CIA Director George Tenet had taken the fall for the Niger uranium debacle. I figured it was coming since Bush and Condoleeza Rice had proclaimed earlier in the day that Tenet had cleared the State of the Union Address which absolved Bush from all blame from making the case that Iraq had tried to buy uranium in Africa.

      At around 2:30 AM this morning, I awoke drenched in a cold sweat from one of my dreaded premonition fever dreams and it all began to make sense. The Niger story was simply a dry run by the White House that set the stage for Bush to wiggle his way out of taking any responsibility for the tragedy that occurred on 9-11!

      Hear me out here.

      If Bush can get away from taking responsibility for the words he spoke in his State of the Union Address because the CIA didn't tell him they were bogus, just think how this precedent will play itself out down the line when the public finds out about the intelligence briefings Bush received prior to 9-11.especially the August 6, 2001 briefing that took place in Crawford, Texas?

Button Collection Reflects an Era Freedoms of Speech and Assembly

It has been over thirty-five years since Al Feldstein was a political science major at the University of Maryland. It was then, in 1967, he picked up his first protest button. He was attracted to the bright colors, the graphics of the period, and the contemporary history the button represented. Al went back to his dorm room and pinned the button on the strap of his arrow quiver for decoration. Other buttons followed. He did not know these would be the first of thousands of political cause, protest, social movement, and campaign buttons he would amass through the years. His collection now holds more than 8,000 buttons and is a visible portrayal of modern American history.

Nuclear energy in Ohio

Hello Mr. Wasserman. I have just discovered your site/articles. As a Canadian who suffers through the bullying tactics of Ambassador Cellucci I can't tell you how happy I am to read your articles and the news that the " grass roots " are so active in the US. Canada is so economically tied to the US that we have little clout , so to speak, to influence the agenda. After intense world watching, dialogue with friends, letters to your administration and mine I have concluded that the only hope to avoid world disaster from both military and environmental ignorance lies with the American voter and their friends abroad. I am encouraged by the courage of yourself and others in the States who dare to oppose the fundamentalist stance of the administration in Washington. Your article conjured up the idea that it might be useful to ask the UN to send inspectors to the US and Canda to inspect our nuclear sites. From what I read they are in a dangerous state of disrepair and the maintainance of them is sucking the economies dry. This action may encourage the development of other energies, adjustments in lifestyle, reduction in armament.

Judy Miller's war

Lay all of Judith Miller's New York Times stories end to end, from late 2001 to June 2003, and you get a desolate picture of a reporter with an agenda, both manipulating and being manipulated by U.S. government officials, Iraqi exiles and defectors, an entire Noah's ark of scam artists.

            And while Miller, either under her own single byline or with NYT colleagues, was touting the bioterror threat, her book "Germs," co-authored with Times-men Stephen Engelberg and William Broad, was in the bookstores and climbing the best seller lists. The same day that Miller opened an envelope of white powder (which turned out to be harmless) at her desk at The New York Times, her book was No. 6 on The New York Times best seller list. The following week (Oct. 21, 2001), it reached No. 2. By Oct. 28 (at the height of her scare-mongering campaign), it was up to No. 1. If we were cynical .

            We don't have full 20/20 hindsight yet, but we do know for certain that many sensational disclosures in Miller's major stories between late 2001 and early summer 2003, promoted disingenuous lies. There were no

Thanks for Clemency

Governor Taft always hears from groups like ours when we are displeased with his decisions to execute convicted murderers.  As you are all aware, a couple weeks ago, he granted clemency to Jerome Campbell on the recommendation of the Parole Board.  Michael Manley suggested that we bombard the Governor with letters of thanks and encouragement for his decision in that case.  It might not be a bad idea to write to the Parole Board as well.  Addresses follow:

Gov. Bob Taft:  Governor.Taft@das.state.oh.us

Ohio Parole Board
1050 Freeway Drive North
Columbus, OH  43229
614-752-1200

Thanks!

Toni Nijssen
Secretary, COTSE

Protect the Clear Air Act

Nearly half of all Americans live in areas where, according to the American Lung Association, the air is at times literally unsafe to breathe because of high levels of smog. In 1997, the EPA adopted new rules to reduce dangerous levels of smog, but an unsuccessful court challenge by industry delayed the rules, which still haven't taken effect.

Now, an amendment to the massive transportation bill currently being considered by the U.S. Senate could delay these rules even further and weaken current transportation conformity rules in the Clean Air Act that help prevent highway projects from worsening air quality in areas with smog problems.

With childhood asthma rates at an all time high, we need the Senate to put America on the road to cleaner air. Please take a minute to ask your senators to defend the Clean Air Act and remove proposals that would weaken clean air protections from the transportation bill. Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.

To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:

Weekend Event Organized Against Bush Push for New Nukes

How will you commemorate the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki this year? SpeakOut to prevent such atrocities from ever being repeated! Help prevent the proliferation and use of nuclear weapons!

Join us at:
International SOS: SpeakOut at STRATCOM
No New Weapons of Mass Destruction!
August 1-3, 2003 Omaha, NE

Senior officials in the Bush administration who have proposed the production of a new generation of nuclear weapons have scheduled a meeting to discuss plans for nuclear proliferation at US Strategic Command (STRATCOM) during the first week of August 2003. We are going to be there to say NO! Join us!

How can your organization participate in this international protest of weapons of mass destruction?

* Visit our website at www.sos2003.com and download flyers and other informational materials
* Endorse International SOS: SpeakOut at STRATCOM
* Co-sponsor International SOS: SpeakOut at STRATCOM
* Nominate and Sponsor speakers for the rally

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